With the relaunch of the Snake Valley News I am looking forward to producing a regular column with a focus on gardening and self-sufficiency around the home. Snake Valley is a thriving little community with many of our residents enjoying a range of gardening and self-sufficient activities for both pleasure and produce. While I hope to provide handy tips each month, I would also like to encourage readers to send in questions that they would like answered via email.
The Snake Valley Produce Swap is a recent endeavor that aimed to start a regular gathering of local home growers on a monthly basis at the Hotel to swap produce, and share tips and advice. This monthly gathering is currently on hold with the cold weather but we are looking to relaunch the gathering shortly with the warmer weather. If you have an interest in meeting with such like-minded community members, could you please contact me via email to convey your interest and share ideas and thoughts about what you would want to see in a Produce Swap or Grower’s Group, thank-you.
AUGUST
We are nearing the end of winter. While growth has been slow for the last few months, the warmer Spring weather will soon see everything coming back to life with vigour. If you haven’t done so already, now is your last chance to finish off any deciduous fruit tree pruning, as well as getting your roses or other deciduous plants back into shape. Avoid pruning plums and apricots in particular if they are already shooting, it can lead to fungal and disease problems. Any peaches, nectarines and apricots that experience leaf-curl, or other fungal problems can be sprayed with copper-sulphate or lime sulphur at bud burst (which is just as the buds swell, but before they open).
Given that winter has been fairly mild, many plants are coming into bud burst earlier than expected and may be more susceptible to late frosts and strong winds. Storm damage such as broken branches should be removed once safe to do so. Avoid pruning plants with frost damage until later spring when the frost risk has past – damaged tips protect against the next frost, and pruning only encourages new grow which will be more affected by frost.
Now is a good time to start thinking about summer vegie crops. Begin the preparation of finished beds with a good top up of organic matter, and if you have access to a hot house or warm, light, protected areas, you may be able to start propagating some early seedlings. Check out John Ditchman’s “Urban Food Garden” website for his local seeding guide, based on the experience of local Ballarat growers.
Happy growing!
Sonia van Dorssen
sonvador@yahoo.com.au
